Published: Nov 13, 2014, 07:00 AM (IST)
Edited: Nov 12, 2014, 06:07 PM (IST)
By Sameer Jha
Nov 13, 2014
Australia will face South Africa in the first One-Day International (ODI) of the five match series at Perth on Friday. Both teams are favorites to win next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup, and will look to test their strengths and weaknesses in order to plan their preparation for next year’s mega event.
In the three Twenty 20 Internationals (T20Is) played prior to the ODI series, Australia clinched a 2-1 victory. However, several key players AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Dale Steyn, George Bailey and Michael Clarke were missing in action in the T20Is. They will be back in the Protea line up in the 50 overs format.
The two teams had clashed recently in a triangular series in Zimbabwe. In their three encounters, South Africa emerged victorious in two matches (including the final), whereas Australia had registered victory in one match. For Australia, a lot of eyes will be set on how Michael Clarke performs. The Australian captain hasn’t had a great time in recent past. He suffered a hamstring injury while training in Zimbabwe, and missed Australia’s initial matches. On his return, his injury resurfaced and Australia lost to Zimbabwe by three wickets.
Clarke’s misery continued on Australia’s tour to United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he missed the ODI series, and saw his side being convincingly battered by Pakistan. The 33-year old will be glad to be back home in conditions he is well familiar with, and will be raring to make a huge impact. Mitchell Johnson will be another key player for Australia as the Perth wicket is known for its pace and bounce.
For South Africa, there seems to be little cause for concern as they are on a brilliant winning run in ODIs. AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis are part of a batting order that could invoke fear into the hearts of any bowling attack. JP Duminy is out injured with and will miss the series.
Matches between Australia and South Africa are often intense, and it wouldn’t be wrong to expect some great encounters in this series too. The first ODI will be important as it can set the tone for the rest of the series.
Squads:
South Africa: AB de Villiers (c), Hashim Amla, Kyle Abbott, Quinton de Kock (wk), Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Vernon Philander, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn.
Australia: Michael Clarke (c), George Bailey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade (wk), David Warner, Shane Watson.
Time: 11:20 local | 03:20 GMT | 08:50 IST
(Sameer Jha is a reporter at CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter at @SameerJha_)
